HUGE NEWS: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry recently invited me to the opening of a time capsule that was originally assembled and hidden away in 1975. Headmistress Minerva McGonagall had received a tip from the Whomping Willow that the time capsule contained something that might interest me. So, I went to Hogwarts. And it was awesome.

The opening of the time capsule revealed an incredible surprise: A demo tape in a shoddy case, labeled “Whomping Willows Demos – 1975”! After some light prodding, the sneaky magical tree revealed that the demo tape was in fact a full album, revolving around Marauders-era events and recorded in 1975!

After an emotional meeting, the Whomping Willow granted me permission to restore the album, convert it to contemporary digital format, and release it on my DIY record label, Cheap Rent Records. But in order to do this, I NEED YOUR HELP!

This entire process will be very expensive, so I need to raise funds to cover the costs. I’ve created a series of amazing rewards that you’ll receive in exchange for your donation! Please check them out over at the project’s Kickstarter page!

It’s my birthday next week, and as usual I am celebrating it (and the new year!) with an awesome sale on my wizard merch! I’m offering shirts for as low as $6 and CDs for $8! No crazy discount codes required. No complicated package deals. Just pick whatever you want and save some money! Easy peasy!

Every year I try to put together the most amazing holiday sale possible. Not only do I like to offer my wonderful fans a chance to get some wizard merch on the cheap, but I also enjoy clearing out my inventory to make room for new ideas. SO, with that in mind, I’ve created some amazing deals that are designed to give you a whole lot of bang for not much buck! Here’s what I’m offering:

FREE SHIPPING on orders over $50! You could conceivably buy three shirts for $46 and an album for $10, then get three shirts and an album for FREE and also get FREE SHIPPING on that entire order, resulting in total savings of approximately FIFTY BUCKS. HOLY BALLS. Click here to check out what’s available.

ALL STAR PACK! Get the best my online store has to offer for just $28! That includes an I Believe In Nargles shirt, a copy of Wizard Party Forever!!! and a copy of Demons at the Helm! Save $10! Click here to check out this package deal.

WHOMPY’S CHOICE! Can’t decide between all of my awesome shirts and albums? No problem! Let me decide for you! Just pick your t-shirt size and I will create an awesome pairing for you, based on what’s available in my inventory. Just $18! Save between $2 and $10! Click here to check out this package deal.

Great news for those of you who (understandably) don’t use PayPal for online shopping! I’ve just created a new online merch storefor people like you! All you need is a credit card! I’ve made most of my t-shirts and CDs available at this new store, and I’ll be adding more items and special deals as time goes on!

You know the old saying about hindsight being 20/20? I NOW HAVE CONCLUSIVE PROOF THAT THIS SAYING IS TRUE!

When I decided to release a 22-track, 1.4-hour edition of House of Awesome, I overlooked the fact that my CDRs lack 1.4 hours of space. As a result, this 22-track, 1.4-hour edition of House of Awesome will be released as a TWO-DISC SET. Despite the fact that this will be a pain in the ass to pull off, I am super-pumped about releasing a TWO-DISC SET for the first time ever!

However, the drawback is that I don’t have a lot of time to make a bunch of two-disc sets with hand-drawn cover art. So, the major point here is that I am going to end this super-exclusive offer much earlier than expected: The deadline for orders will be Friday, May 11 at 6pm EST. These will NOT be available at shows. The only way to get one is to click on this link and order it before Friday, May 11 at 6pm EST!

I suspect that the total number of orders will be fairly low, making this one of the most exclusive, limited edition items that I’ve ever released! Get one while you can!

I can’t believe it’s been five years since I released Welcome to the House of Awesome! This album is by far my best-selling and most-loved album of all time, so much so that I sometimes find myself wondering why people like it as much as they do. When I insist that Demons at the Helm and Wizard Party Forever!!! are better, people just shake their heads and tell me to stop talking. I guess I can’t argue with the people!

In any case, I AM very proud of how successful this album has become, and I’ve decided to honor its five-year anniversary with an incredible deal: I’ve created a limited edition, 22-track version of the album that I will be selling in the form of a homemade CDR. This will allow me to keep costs low and offer House of Awesome enthusiasts a chance to own every version of these songs that I currently have in my possession! Specifically, the CDR will include the entire original album, as well as the Rock n’ Roll Redux EP and five exclusive live tracks! Most of the live tracks come from my legendary full-band performance at Wrockstock ’08 — the one that was threatened by tornado warnings, and the one that many fellow wizard rock bands cited as their inspiration for assembling full bands at major events. There is also a live track from a house party in Providence RI, during which my cousin Erin chews me out for being a “manwhore” and using Wizard Rock Heart Throb as a means of gaining sympathy from adoring female fans. Winky face! Warning: that live track contains explicit language due to my cousin’s potty mouth!

If this all sounds good to you, feel free to bop on over to my online store and get yourself a copy before they sell out! It’s only $12 plus shipping for 22 tracks of awesomeness!

I love Ohio, and Ohio has shown nothing but love for me. Every time I’ve organized a states competition surrounding a new Whomping Willows release, Ohio basically destroys the competition. That loyalty has been rewarded with my effort to book at least two shows in Ohio every time I tour through that area of the country. Other states may want to consider this fact when deciding whether or not to pre-order my next album.

In any case, for the past several summers I’ve had a great relationship with the main library in Akron, and I’ve recently developed a similar relationship with a library in Cincinnati. However, in an unexpected turn of events, both of these amazing venues have become unavailable and/or unresponsive in regards to booking for summer 2012. This is highly disappointing for a number of reasons.

The point is: we need new libraries to play at in Ohio! In particular, we would like to find new venues in/around Cleveland and Cincinnati, although we’d love to play in/around Columbus as well. Libraries are the main focus here, as we want to keep as many shows free to attendees as humanly possible. However, if you know of any awesome all-ages venues or DIY spaces in these areas, we’d love to hear about those too.

If I had the time, I would seriously comb through the internet and email every library in Ohio to find a willing venue for the summer. I simply don’t have that kind of time, as I’m booking around 40 shows for the summer all across the USA and this task requires a lot of time and effort to complete. Ideally, what I’d love from my Ohioan friends is to do the following:

1. Call or visit your local library and ask for the teen/youth services librarian.
2. If they don’t have a teen/youth services librarian, ask for whoever is in charge of programming.
3. Tell that person about how awesome wizard rock is, about past shows you’ve attended (especially at libraries), and ask if they’d be interested in booking a wizard rock show for June or July (I have a couple dates I’m trying to book).
4. If they’re interested, get the email address of that person and let them know that Matt from The Whomping Willows will be in touch.
5. Email the librarian’s contact info to me at thewhompingwillows@gmail.com

Seriously, you have no idea how much perceived public interest helps in booking new libraries. If a librarian receives an email from me about booking a show, and if they’ve never booked a wizard rock show before, they will treat my inquiry as they’d treat any other booking inquiry — with anything ranging from complete indifference to very mild interest. It’s rare that new venues work out unless the venues are the ones establishing contact. To have one of their valued patrons initiate the booking process tells them that there is real interest in their community for such programming. It would be even more effective if you brought a couple friends with you!

Thank you ahead of time for your help! Ohio is amazing and I want to keep playing shows there. If it all works out, I’ll be playing TWO shows in Ohio this summer!

I’ve been trying to think of a way to reward my wizard rock fans for crossing over and supporting my new non-wizard album, When I Was Your Age. I know that many wizard rock fans aren’t necessarily interested in the personal lives of wizard rockers, and WIWYA is a very personal album. The fact that it’s received so much support already is something I really appreciate.

In order to show my appreciation, I am offering a 33% discount on all merchandise in my Whomping Willows online store to anyone who purchases my new album and/or my new STD Puppet Show t-shirt online. Your purchase can happen via DFTBA Records, iTunes, Amazon, or another online store if you can find it elsewhere. The key is that you need to provide me with evidence that you purchased the album (and/or shirt) online. This might be a bit easier if you purchase a hard copy via DFTBA as you’ll receive an email receipt for your purchase. A purchase on iTunes or Amazon may require some clever screen shot action.

In any case, acquire your proof of purchase and email it to thewhompingwillows@gmail.com, and I will email you back with a 33% discount code that will be good until January 31, 2012!

If you’re wondering why I chose 33%, that’s because January 9 is my 33rd birthday! Yeah, I’m so old! The cool thing about me is that I’d prefer people buy my music because it’s awesome and not because I’ve tricked them into thinking I’m a teenager.

Here are answers to a few questions that I’m sure I’ll receive:

1. What about people who already bought the album via DFTBA or iTunes?! If you bought it via DFTBA, you should have your receipt somewhere in your email. Email it to me and I’ll send you the code! If you bought it electronically — well, you might be out of luck unless you can figure out a way to prove that you bought it on iTunes/Amazon/etc. Sorry.

2. What about Kickstarter donors? Are they eligible for this discount? They technically bought the album online! Yes, you are correct! Hit me up with an email and I’ll send you the code.

3. What about people who bought the album in person at the Boston Yule Ball? Same deal! Email me! I just need proof that you bought the album, such as a picture of you with the album or something.

This sale begins now and runs until the end of my birthday month! I very much hope you’ll consider purchasing When I Was Your Age either way — it’s definitely the best album I’ve ever released and I think most Whomping WIllows fans will really enjoy it!